1. | 适合正式场合的；正规的；庄重的very correct and suitable for official or important occasions |
formal evening dress 晚礼服 | |
The dinner was a formal affair. 这是正式宴会。 | |
He kept the tone of the letter formal and businesslike. 他使这封信保持正式公文的语气。 | |
She has a very formal manner, which can seem unfriendly. 她的举止很是郑重其事，有可能会显得不友好。 |
2. | 正式的；合乎规矩的official; following an agreed or official way of doing things |
formal legal processes 正式法律程序 | |
to make a formal apology/complaint/request 正式道歉╱投诉╱要求 | |
Formal diplomatic relations between the two countries were re-established in December. 两国于十二月重新建立了正式外交关系。 | |
It is time to put these arrangements on a slightly more formal basis. 是应该把这些安排做得略为正式一点的时候了。 |
3. | 正规的received in a school, college or university, with lessons, exams, etc., rather than gained just through practical experience |
He has no formal teaching qualifications. 他没有正规的教学资历证明。 | |
Young children are beginning their formal education sometimes as early as four years old. 幼儿有时早在四岁时就开始接受正规教育。 |
4. | 方式上的；做法上的；形式上的concerned with the way sth is done rather than what is done |
Getting approval for the plan is a purely formal matter; nobody will seriously oppose it. 计划报批纯粹是一个形式上的问题，没有人会当真反对的。 | |
Critics have concentrated too much on the formal elements of her poetry, without really looking at what it is saying. 评论家过多地集中评论她诗歌的形式，而没有真正看其内容。 |
5. | 整齐的；布置井然的arranged in a regular manner, according to a clear, exact plan |
delightful formal gardens, with terraced lawns and an avenue of trees 精心布置的有片片草坪和林荫道的宜人花园 |
